This was insane. Absolutely, certifiably stupid.
Izumo shifted nervously as he looked down at the bustling crowds from his perch on the roof of a laundromat. Across the street from his spot was a small arcade, and he watched as people filtered in and out. He knew the other HOMRA boys were scattered around the block, all looking for the same thing. Gojo Sukuna.
Now, why were they waiting for a 13-year-old JUNGLE member outside an arcade? Because Tatara was an idiot who couldn't keep his mouth shut, that's why.
Izumo sighed, taking a drag from his cigarette, as he listened to the boys chatter through the earpiece he had on.
The silence was almost suffocating in the bar, no one daring to say a word. Tatara and Izumo shared a look before turning their attention back to the silent red head smoking between them.
They'd both seen their king leave with a woman last night, though she was long gone by the time they arrived at the bar this morning. Still, neither wanted to be the first to ask- had he given up on finding Umeko?
"No."
Both blonds blinked. Izumo raised a brow, "No what?"
"I'm not going to stop looking for her."
Ah. Tatara leaned forward slightly, carefully choosing his next words, "Then why would you-"
One look from the red head and the blond fell silent.
"Umeko," Mikoto started, surprising both the other men. They hadn't heard him say her name in months, "left because she thought it was what I wanted."
They could tell how much this bothered him. His eyes were locked on the smoking end of his cigarette, and his shoulders were stiff as a board.
Mikoto grit his teeth, searching for the right words. Why the fuck had he even slept with that woman? He'd barely even been able to get off last night, and by the time she'd left he'd felt worse than he had before.
He'd take it back if he could. The thought of seeing Umeko again and having to tell her made his stomach turn. Briefly he let himself wonder if she was fucking someone else too, wherever she was, but he forced the thought away.
"I just need to find her. Set everything straight," he finished, taking a drag of his cigarette.
The trio lapsed into silence again after that, each thinking over their options.
Suddenly Tatara chuckled, making Izumo shoot him a look.
"I was just thinking, knowing a member of the Green Clan would be helpful right now. I bet they could find anyone with their JUNGLE network."
Now, Tatara had meant it as a joke. But the sudden light that appeared in Mikoto's eyes made him stiffen and Izumo sigh.
"Totsuka you idiot."
And now, here he was, sitting on top of a laundromat, waiting to jump a 13-year-old. Everyone had strict instructions not to fuck this up, it had taken them nearly a month to locate one of JUNGLE's officers, and longer to get enough of a lock on his habits to set this up.
Gojo was an avid gamer, and the particular arcade they were staking out was one of his most frequent hangouts. The plan was to steal his PDA so they could access JUNGLE's main server through an administrator's account. From there, they'd go through user information to try and find any sign of their runaway member. Even though she'd left her phone in Shizume, they hoped she'd gotten a new one wherever she was, or someone had pinned her in something.
Izumo thought this was seriously a shit idea. The last thing they needed was a war with the Green Clan, especially since it was guaranteed to drag the Blue Clan into this mess. At least they had a chance of filching it off him without any violence. Maybe. If he was daft.
"North bound, incoming."
Izumo blinked back to focus at Yata's warning, eyes diving into the crowd and finding a particular head of light purple hair. Izumo scanned the crowd, looking to see which of his clansmen were closest.
"Chitose," he started, and he watched the brunette slide out of the shadows of a bodega awning. He walked a few steps behind the JUNGLE member, waiting patiently for an opportunity to get inside his personal space.
Chitose had no intentions of fucking this up. If he could actually lift this phone off Gojo, they had a shot of finding something that'd lead them to Umeko. And he wanted that, very much.
Despite the situation with Mikoto that had led her to leaving, Chitose wanted to find her. She was a member of HOMRA, and that made her family. And every family fought. It was just the making up part that was important.
Plus, he missed her. He considered her a good friend, would go to her for advice on even the smallest of things. Sure, he always had to mind his manners because Mikoto would burn him if he ever did anything disrespectful to the little woman, but that didn't mean he adored her any less. Umeko was by and far one of the kindest people he'd ever met, and he knew she cared for all of the HOMRA members dearly.
And, he admitted, he wanted her to come back for Mikoto. The red head was his king, the one he and all the other members had dedicated their lives to, and since Umeko had left he'd been different. She made his king happy, made him healthier and more balanced, and that was worth having to be extra aware of his hands when interacting with the little female. Mikoto had been so withdrawn the last few months, it was clear to anyone who knew him how unhappy he was.
Which was why, as he slipped around another person to move ever closer to his target, he had no intentions of fucking this up. Because he wanted Umeko to come home, wanted her to straighten everything out with Mikoto, even if he was going to put her in the head lock of the decade when he saw her again for causing so much trouble.
Ahead of him, Sukuna paused to look at something in a store front, and Chitose pretended he hadn't seen the boy stop, bumping into his shoulder.
"Ah, sorry! I didn't see you stop," he laughed, making sure the kid's eyes were on his as his hand slipped down towards his pocket. His fingers wrapped around the PDA, pulling it out carefully. Hell yeah, he totally had this-
Thin fingers wrapped around his wrist, eyes narrowing.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Izumo gapped as Chitose was suddenly thrown across the street, smacking into a brick wall and missing going through a window by inches. The rest of HOMRA flew into action, attacking from all angles, and in seconds the smell of burning asphalt and the screams of confused civilians filled the air. Izumo scowled as he jumped to the ground. It could never be easy could it?
Munakata was past the point of being annoyed. He was pissed.
The fuck was HOMRA thinking, attacking a member of JUNGLE in broad daylight? Not only did they do extensive damage to a heavily trafficked shopping district, they'd also openly risked starting a war with the Green Clan.
He wanted to pull his hair out at the absurdity of it, and settled instead on slamming another puzzle piece down with enough force to crack it.
This had officially gotten out of hand. If HOMRA wanted to track down a runaway member, fine by him. If they wanted to go through yakuza and gangs like dirty tissues, he didn't give a damn. But destroying blocks of businesses and properties, attacking members of other clans in the middle of the street, that he could not stand for.
No doubt, JUNGLE was going to retaliate for the assault on one of their senior officers. And conflicts between clans never ended well.
He needed to get involved. There was no way around it at this point. He'd increase patrols around HOMRA's territory and areas JUNGLE was known to frequent and, as much as he hated it, he needed to speak to Suoh. Now.
Umeko blinked.
This is so not how she expected her day to go.
But here she was, sitting in a fold out chair fighting sleep pulling at her eyelids, in a karate studio of all places. Yumiko squirmed excitedly next to her, listening to the instructor introduce himself to the class.
Umeko had barely slept three hours last night, thrown awake every hour by nightmares before giving up at 5 am. She'd made herself a cup of tea and got back in bed with a book, barely reading the words as she watched her room slowly brighten. When she heard something hit her window at eight, she poked her head out. She yelped in surprise and ducked down as a pebble narrowly missed her face. When she finally comprehended what was going on, she saw Yumiko grinning at her from the street.
"Bitch, get your things. I've got a hot date to score."
Umeko hadn't had any clue what she was talking about, but within minutes of letting the energetic brunette into the restaurant, she'd found herself being pulled to said karate studio.
What Yumiko had meant was that she'd met a guy at the grocery store, who happened to teach a self-defense class and, according to Yumiko, insisted she come. Umeko hadn't been able to voice even a single objection, but honestly, she wasn't upset about it.
Umeko had taken many beatings in her life. From her father, from his bookies, from a lot of people. And never in any of that time had she been given an opportunity to learn how to defend herself. Even after she'd received Mikoto's power, and the added instincts they gave her, she'd never tried to use them. By that point she hated violence more than anything, and wanted nothing to do with it if at all possible.
That being said, now that she was alone in a strange city with a list of allies she could count on one hand, she figured learning how to properly defend herself wasn't the worst thing.
"Umeko-chan," Yumiko whispered excitedly into her ear, "our instructor is so hot."
Umeko smiled, rolling her eyes at the brunette's antics, but gave the blond talking in front of them an appreciatory once over for her sake. Umeko had no intentions of not taking everything she learned in this class seriously, regardless of how nice their instructor's biceps were.
She shifted uncomfortably, biting her lip slightly. Besides, if she ever saw Mikoto again, she figured he would like that she'd learned how to protect herself.
Mikoto walked a lot now.
The sun had set a few hours ago, but still he continued his steady pace through downtown Shizume. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, and if he did manage to drift off he was always thrown awake by nightmares.
So, he walked. Sometimes he'd be out until well after the sun had risen again, sometimes for less.
Tonight he found himself walking through a familiar park. There were a few baseball fields in the back, and HOMRA would often go there to play. The dirt path crunched quietly under his feet, the path illuminated by the occasional street lamp.
He felt a slight nagging at the edge of his senses, and though he didn't change his pace, his eyes looked ahead in preparation. Mikoto didn't say anything as Munakata looked at him from his spot on a bench just a few meters away, sharp eyes only barely visible in the dark.
"Suoh," he acknowledged, "we need to talk."
"Do we now?" he taunted, coming to a stop a few strides shy of the bench.
"Yes we do," Munakata grit, and Mikoto could sense his annoyance, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"What about?" he asked, taking a cigarette out the pack in his pocket and lighting it with a flick of his fingers.
"Kobayashi Umeko. Honestly, is the girl worth all this trouble?"
Munakata felt Mikoto's anger spike, the air around them growing heavier and hotter. He raised a brow at the glare the red head was giving him, not affected in the slightest.
"You attacked a member of JUNGLE, unprovoked. Do you honestly think the Green King will let that go unanswered?"
"I don't give a damn," Mikoto shot back, and Munakata's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Idiot. You're a king, it's your responsibility to-"
"You know damn well I don't care about my responsibilities as king."
"For God's sake Suoh, she left! Stop risking the safety of everyone around you over something as insignificant as a woman!"
Mikoto had his hand fisted in the front of his uniform in seconds, face less than inch from his.
"Do not," he hissed, "call her insignificant."
Reisi scoffed, "Compared to keeping the peace between the clans? To keeping the slate safe and keeping your sanctum stable? Don't be daft, she'd agree with me if she was here."
Mikoto let go of him in disgust. He always hated that Umeko and Munakata knew each other. Not well, but somehow she'd managed to bump into him alone a handful of times, always returning to the bar chirping about how refreshing he was to be around. He always knew she was teasing him when she said that, but it didn't mean that she didn't actually get along with the Blue King, that the two didn't have some odd little friendship between them.
So, when Munakata said he knew what she'd say in the situation, he hated to admit it but he knew he was right.
Silence stretched between them for a few minutes, neither moving nor saying anything. Finally, Munakata pushed his glasses up his nose, letting out a sigh.
"You are a king Suoh. Like it or not, you are responsible for things beyond yourself. Umeko-san, she's a wonderful woman. I can sympathize that you would want to locate her, but it cannot overtake all your other responsibilities."
Mikoto grit his teeth, "You don't understand."
"Oh?" Reisi raised a brow, "What don't I understand?"
Mikoto's shoulders sagged just slightly, eyes drifting off to lock on something in the distance, the words dying on his tongue.
He needed her.
"So how's your self-defense class going?"
"Good, I'm definitely having a better time than Yumiko-chan."
Benjirou's bemused gaze lifted from his computer screen for a moment, drawing a grin to her face.
"That so?"
"Mmhmm," she hummed, "she almost cried last time when she broke a nail."
Benjirou snorted, fingers flying across the keyboard, "Of course she did."
They were sitting in a coffee shop a few blocks away from the café, Benjirou working on an assignment for his job, Umeko pouring over a murder mystery novel he'd lent her a week ago.
Ever since their botched attempt at sex, they relationship had shifted. Now that they both knew nothing romantic would come out of their relationship, they'd thrown themselves fully into a rapidly deepening friendship. Umeko felt more at ease with him than she had with anyone else she'd ever met, and at this point the black-haired boy was her dearest friend. She loved Yumiko, and Chise had a monumental influence on her, but Arai Benjirou was her best friend.
She took a sip of her long cold latte, watching Benjirou work. The guy was a tech guru, and worked writing code for a private defense company in the city. He'd even tried to teach her some basic coding skills, which she was surprisingly half decent at, though she was practically clueless when compared with the dark-haired boy's seemingly infinite skills.
She took a deep breath to shake the exhaustion pulling at her shoulders, leaning back when she realized she was no longer absorbing the story.
Benjirou stopped typing, looking up at her. His blue eyes looked at her thoughtfully, before he closed his laptop.
"When's the last time you slept?" he asked bluntly.
Umeko squirmed in her seat, "Last night."
"For how long?"
"A few hours," she mumbled, though it was a stretch.
Benjirou leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest.
"What's keeping you up at night?"
Umeko swallowed nervously. Should she tell him about her nightmares? They'd only lead to more questions, questions of why she has these dreams. Benjirou still didn't know anything about her years before the Red Clan, and she'd been hoping to keep it that way for a while. But alas, the look he was giving her told her there was no room for argument here.
"I get nightmares," she finally mumbled.
Blue eyes widened in surprise.
"Go out for lunch with Mai this week."
Umeko froze, eyes widening then narrowing at the black-haired boy's demand.
"I don't see why-"
"She's a psychiatrist. Even if you don't want to talk to her about this, she could recommend you someone who you could."
"I don't know," she trailed off uncertainly. She still hadn't really spoken to Mai before, and to suddenly sit down with her and talk about the demons that plagued her…
"Not to mention," he piped up again, "She thinks you hate her."
"Of course I don't hate her!" Umeko yelped, and Benjirou smiled.
"I know that. I also know why you avoid her like the plague."
His hand reached across the table to squeezed hers lightly, "It's not healthy to carry so much guilt in you."
Umeko's breath hitched, her heart freezing in her chest. But Benjirou's blue eyes stayed fixed on her comfortingly, his hand steady on hers.
"You can't go on not sleeping, it's not healthy. I've known Mai since high school, I know the two of you will hit it off."
Umeko swallowed as she thought of the lovely blond, of her running her hands lovingly over her swollen belly. The thought left an ache in her chest, but she knew Benjirou was right.
"Okay."
Umeko was happy, much to her surprise.
Lunch was going fantastic. Benjirou had been right, her and Mai got along well. The blond was absolutely wonderful. She had a gentle disposition that could put anyone at ease, and was an easy conversationalist.
Umeko was ashamed she'd been so withdrawn from the girl, especially now that she realized she'd robbed herself of what she knew would be a wonderful friendship for so long.
Once she'd gotten past her immediate discomfort, Umeko had enjoyed every minute she'd spent with Mai. That is, until she had stopped mid-sentence, putting both hands on her belly and taking a deep breath.
"Sorry," she'd chuckled, "baby's kicking."
And even though Umeko had smiled and told her it was fine, she'd felt shaken. But Mai didn't seem to notice in the slightest.
"Here," she said, reaching her hand across the table, "do you want to feel?"
Before Umeko could even respond the blond was putting her hand on her belly, and Umeko's breath hitched when she felt a kick under her palm.
Mai giggled, "She likes you."
Umeko blinked, "Really?"
"Absolutely! She usually only kicks for me or Tadashi."
Slowly a grin started to form on her face, and Umeko moved her hand slowly over the gentle swell.
"I'm happy she likes me then."
Umeko brought her hand back slowly, eyes drifting back to Mai's sparkling blue ones.
"When are you due again?" Umeko asked, a warm feeling settling in her stomach as she watched Mai rub her belly soothingly.
"Next week," she smiled, "which is insane."
"Yeah," Umeko agreed, not even able to comprehend how the blond must have felt, knowing any second she could become a mother.
"I'm really happy we did this Umeko-san."
Umeko blushed under Mai's suddenly affectionate gaze.
"I know you and Benjirou have gotten very close. He's one of my oldest friends, so it means the world to me to see him so happy."
Umeko felt her blush deepen, "Well he's a great guy. I think he's done me more good than I could ever do for him."
Mai hummed, resting her elbow on the table and propping her chin in her palm.
"Maybe. But really, I haven't seen him this happy since before Naomi got sick."
"Did you know her?"
"Very well! Me and Benjirou went to the same college, which is where the two of them met. I knew her as long as he did."
Umeko noted the hint of sadness in her voice.
"He really loved her."
"He did," Mai agreed, "you should have seen the two of them. An artist and a tech whiz, they didn't make any sense on paper but they made each other really happy."
Umeko smiled, thinking of the stories Benjirou had told him about his deceased lover, "I can tell."
Mai grinned, "I know you two didn't work out in the romantic sense, but you've made a difference in his life. Yumiko raves about you too. Even my Tadashi can't stop complimenting you."
Umeko squeaked at the confession, "Oh! Well, I mean, they're such great people. They'd bring out the best in anyone."
Mai hummed, a teasing grin on her face, "You're not wrong."
Umeko pushed down the flustered feeling in her chest, "You and Tadashi are great together."
The love that immediately flooded Mai's face at the mention of her husband was palpable.
"I love him like crazy. We've known each other since we were kids, our moms were friends. I've been in love with him since we were in middle school."
Umeko's heart warmed. It was nice to hear that two people could be so happy together for so long.
"I'm really happy for you guys."
Mai smiled softly at her, "Benjirou-kun said you wanted me to talk to you about your sleep troubles."
Umeko blushed, looking away, "We don't have to. You have enough on your plate as is-"
"Nonsense," Mai waved her off, "I'm a psychiatrist, this is all I talk about."
Mai opened her mouth to continue when suddenly she stopped. The color drained from her face, and her breath hitched for a second.
Concern immediately flooded Umeko, "Mai-san?"
"I think my water just broke."
Umeko froze, her mouth falling open in shock.
"W-wait, seriously?"
"Either that or I just peed my pants."
Mai stood shakily, and Umeko was standing and at her side in an instant.
"What can I do?" she asked, panic flooding her as she watched Mai hunch slightly as her first contraction hit her.
"Call a cab. Then call Tadashi, please."
I know, I know, the angst is real. Fair warning this arc is going to continue for about two more chapters before the big reunion, so just fair warning. On that note, the first half of next chapter is going to be a flashback of pure FLUFF (with an appearance from Munakata), with a little sexy time thrown in there just cause it's Mikoto and he's sexy. Thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter, you're all so awesome and supportive! Like I said the next chapter is already written, so let's say once this chapter gets ten reviews I'll release it (I'm trying to motivate you with promises of sexy Mikoto). Talk soon!
Gally